The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

Admirable film.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

For years, all I knew of this movie was who was involved in it: director Elaine May, screenwriter Neil Simon, author Bruce Jay Friedman (I was previously familiar with two of his '80s comedies I remember enjoying-Stir Crazy and Splash) and stars Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, and Eddie Albert. Oh, and also another player-Jeannie Berlin-is Ms. May's daughter. I also knew of the premise-Grodin marries Ms. Berlin, finds out she's not very appealing, dumps her after meeting Ms. Shepherd during their honeymoon, tries to get Ms. Shepherd's father-played by Albert-to approve of him for her and then...Well, I'll just say that this was both funny and a little painful to watch but it was mostly quite an enjoyable one to finally see for myself just how well put this was. So on that note, I highly recommend The Heartbreak Kid. Oh, and I just remembered that Audra Lindley-years before playing Helen Roper in "Three's Company"-is in this, too! Also, Doris Roberts-a couple of decades before her Emmy-wining role in "Everybody Loves Raymond"-plays Grodin's mother during the first-wedding sequence.

I had seen the Ben Stiller remake of this film before this original version, and I found out this original was in the book of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, so I had to see whether it deserved that inclusion. Basically Jewish New York sporting goods salesman Lenny Cantrow (Golden Globe nominated Charles Grodin) has just got married to fellow Jewish New Yorker Lila Kolodny (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Jeannie Berlin), and they setting off for a three day honeymoon in Miami. On the journey and arriving at the Doral Hotel on the beach he is becoming bothered by the smallest or most annoying aspects about his new wife, making him question whether it was mistake to marry her, so he makes numerous excuses to get away from her. Lenny thinks his marriage was a bad decision even more when he meets vacationing witty and gorgeous student Kelly Corcoran (Cybill Shepherd), so he makes even more excuses to Lila to spend time with this young woman. Eventually however he confesses to his wife that he does not want to be married anymore due to both this new love interest and because he has become impatient with her, it is unclear whether his new girl feels the same way but he is really keen to marry her following a divorce. Returning home and having divorced Kelly he knows that Lila is attending college in Minnesota, he knows that if he is going to go any further with her he should meet her parents, and he does not make a good impression with her overly protective and hostile father Mr. Corcoran (Oscar nominated Eddie Albert). It is an obstacle convincing the father to think well of him, but eventually Lenny is accepted by the family and he is allowed to marry Kelly, and this time it is really a happy wedding for him and her equally. Also starring Audra Lindley as Mrs. Corcoran, William Prince as Colorado Man, Augusta Dabney as Colorado Woman, Mitchell Jason as Cousin Ralph, Art Metrano as Entertainer, Marilyn Putnam as Mrs. Kolodny, Jack Hausman as Mr. Kolodny and Doris Roberts as Mrs. Cantrow. Grodin is reasonably good fun as the easily irritated newlywed husband, Berlin is funny constantly being needy and annoying, Shepherd is nice enough as the new love interest, and from what I remember Albert is fine as the bigoted father of the new love interest. The story does not have a build up before the wedding, there is not much slapstick, it seems a bit more serious, and there were some nice love story moments, I will be honest and say that I preferred the remake, but I supposed I can see it as a near must see romantic drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. It was number 91 on 100 Years, 100 Laughs. Worth watching!

An artful mixture of deft, laugh-out-loud comedy, interspersed with touching poignant moments, makes this film special and unforgettable. Elaine May's direction was delicate yet purposeful, allowing for the superb development of characters ( in particular Eddie Albert's curmudgeonly businessman/father) without impeding the flow of the plot.In this social portrayal of the Peter Principle, the glib, shallow Lenny somehow talks himself to dizzying social and economic heights all without the benefit of a pedigree or occupational skill set. Albert's father figure takes no time at all to see through all of this; but he is outnumbered by his wife and daughter who succumb to Lenny's charms. You can't help but feel this man's helpless pain in having to watch his lovely, impressionable daughter lured into a clearly doomed marriage.Cybil Shephard, Eddie Albert and Charles Grondin all turned in career performances. This show was one of those rare times when everything (directing, writing and acting) came together to create something greater than the sum of its parts - it's a real treasure.

This is a movie that operates on more than one level, most of which is so subtle as to be nearly imperceptible --or at least seems to be imperceptible, dwarfed as everything else is by the manifest opprobrium of the main character.Superficially what we all clearly see is a dark comedy about a despicable cad, Lenny, who is not just despicable, but despicable with oblivious aplomb, a role played masterfully by Charles Grodin, the aforementioned opprobrious main character and star of the movie. That factoid right there sets up a dynamic wherein people are either going to love this movie or hate this movie, based strictly on how Lenny strikes them. Some find humor in this guy, but others do not. Many are off-put. So off-put, in fact, that they can't get past it. In that way I would compare this 1972 film to a more contemporary one, Sideways (2004). In Sideways the main characters, Jack in particular (played by Thomas Haden Church), were so personally offensive, in word, in thought, and in deed, that many people intensely disliked the movie solely on that basis. People say to me, "I hated Sideways." I ask them why and they say, "I couldn't stand Jack." Some perspective is called for here. The viewer is supposed to dislike Jack in Sideways. That was intended. Maybe find him a little entertaining --or not-- but disliking him is the intended effect. Likewise here with Lenny in The Heartbreak Kid. We are supposed to dislike Lenny. We can laugh at him too if we want to, and he is funny, but disapproval and repulsion is the intent.At the very least Lenny's actions make most people just plain awkwardly uncomfortable. The movie thereby evokes certain feelings and emotions in the viewer that aren't often evoked by movies, which, all by itself, makes this movie unique. As a work of art it makes it a success. And that's just the superficiality of it. There's more to it than just that. Bruce Jay Friedman, the writer, and Neil Simon, the director, were actually making some much deeper ethnic observations and social commentary here. Commentary about Jews, about Jews and Jewish culture in modern America, about Gentiles too, and about how Jews and Gentiles interact in that modern America. All that. But mostly the observations and commentary was about the condition of young Jewish men (some of the very same turf that was being plowed by novelist Philip Roth in about the same era as this movie was released). Lenny, the character played by Grodin, is the almost stereo-typical young angst-filled Jewish male, desperate to break out from the box of tradition which was preordained for him, and who rubbishes his very Jewish bride on their honeymoon to lust after a very Gentile blond, Cybil Shepherd as Kelly Corcoran, all as a part of that angst condition. The Corcoran family, meanwhile, presenting themselves as the cold, aloof uptight WASPs.Friedman had a lot to say here. Simon executed it well. Probably among Simon's best work, although not ever really recognized as such. A remake with Ben Stiller in the Lenny role is now in the works, soon in the offing. We'll have to see if they improve upon the original. I have my doubts that they can even come close. While not perfect, the original is a good movie. But perhaps the time for this story has passed. It was relevant, pertinent, and apropos for 1972. Not so sure about that in 2007. Not to disparage Ben Stiller, but the underlying themes of this movie wouldn't mean as much today as it did 35 years ago.Grodin and Shepherd give good performances. Eddie Albert did too. I heard Cybil say in an interview not all that long ago that she always wished they'd done a sequel to it, and that she was still open to the possibility. Very much worth seeing before one sees any remaking of it.